Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington says a Texas man was arrested Monday morning for human trafficking in Bossier Parish.
Undercover agents with the Bossier Sheriff/Police Narcotics/Vice Task Force were conducting a human trafficking investigation Monday when they arrested Ray Charles Samuels, Jr., 31, of the Dallas area. Agents determined Samuels was trafficking a female victim at a Bossier hotel and arrested him just before noon today.
Samuels was charged with Human Trafficking, Pandering, Promoting Prostitution, Resisting Arrest, Money Laundering, Possession of a Firearm with a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Possession of Schedule 1 (Marijuana) and Possession of Schedule 1 (Ecstasy). When undercover agents made contact with Samuels, they found him hiding in his vehicle in the hotel parking lot with a loaded pistol and drugs. When they took him into custody, he resisted arrest.
When the undercover agents questioned the female “prostitute” during the arrest, they noticed she had signs of human trafficking, including bruising and “branding” tattoos. She eventually admitted to the agents that she was not free to leave on her own will. Representatives from Purchased – NOT FOR SALE, a local organization that gives “rescue, relationship, recovery and resources to women and children experiencing sexual exploitation and sex trafficking,” offered assistance to the victim, and FBI agents aided in the investigation.
The Bossier Sheriff/Police Narcotics/Vice Task Force comprises law enforcement officers from the Bossier Sheriff’s Office and Bossier City Police Department. All agents are also assigned to the NW Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force.
Further charges are pending.
